ArticlePloS one2025
Making "inclusion" more than a buzzword: A critical interpretive synthesis of literature about recruiting seldom-heard groups in health research.
Article in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Drivers of Research Participation Among Racially and Ethnically Underrepresented Women: Insights from Semi-Structured Interviews.Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities · 2026Article
- Effect of a Personalized Mobile Health Intervention Using Artificial Intelligence (the WARIFA App) Versus a Nonpersonalized Intervention on User-Defined Objectives, Healthy Lifestyles, and Management of Type 1 Diabetes (T1D): Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR research protocols · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionSeldom-heard' groups do not experience equitable access, engagement, or benefits from health services and are often underrepresented in research.
methodsThis paper presents a critical interpretive synthesis (CIS) of the literature. The included articles were those published between 2000 and 2024 in PubMed and Web of Science that focused on the recruitment and engagement of 'seldom-heard', 'hard-to-reach', or 'disadvantaged' groups in Europe. Purposive samples of articles followed a flexible and iterative review. Analysis and synthesis focused on identifying "synthetic constructs" or overarching themes, which informed the development of a "synthesizing argument" regarding recruitment and engagement strategies for seldom-heard groups. The presented paper focuses on the "synthetic constructs", whereas the "synthetic argument" will be described in a subsequent paper.
resultsOf the 7601 articles identified, 23 were included. The analysis revealed four synthetic constructs: 1) the complexity of labels and identity, 2) the impact of labels on recruitment, 3) strategies to address recruitment challenges, and 4) the broader effects of these strategies on research and researchers.
conclusionEffective recruitment of seldom heard groups requires lengthy, careful planning, relationship-building, and an understanding of their unique perspectives. In doing so, researchers can contribute to reducing health inequalities and amplifying the voices of underrepresented populations.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.